William Tackett

William Tackett is a professional jiu-jitsu athlete who specializes in the no-gi style of grappling. A black belt under Rodrigo Cabral (Brucutu) and a representative of the Brazilian Fight Factory in Austin, TX, Tackett first made waves in the sport while competing in the adult division as a minor, a time when he shocked many in this sport by beating and submitting several top tier black belts. William would continue to prove his worth and his reputation as one of America’s most talented athletes with outstanding performances on the professional circuit, while still holding colored belt status. These performances led BJJ Heroes to acknowledge and highlight the talented (adopted) Texan in our profile listings, Tackett being only the 3rd brown belt feature on our site in over a decade.

William Tackett Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: William Tackett

Nickname: N/A

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rolls Gracie > Romero Cavalcanti > Leo Vieira >Rodrigo Cabral > William Tackett

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place Jitz King Grand Prix 165 lbs (2019)
• 1st Place Grappling Idiots Invitational (2019)
• 1st Place Midwest Finishers Only (2019)
• 2nd Place SUBVERSIV Tournament (2020)
• 2nd Place Jitz King Grand Prix 185 lbs (2020)

Main Achievements (Amateur):

• F2W 185 lbs Brown Belt Champion (2020)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2017 blue)
• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2018 blue)
• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI Juvenile (2017** / 2018)
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI Juvenile (2018*)
• 2nd Place ADCC West Coast Trials (2019)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2017 / 2018 blue)

* Absolute
** Weight and Absolute

Favorite Position/Technique: Scramble-jitsu

Weight Division: 84,00 kg / 185.00 lbs

Team/Association: Brazilian Fight Factory

William Tackett Biography

William Tackett was born on May 14, 2001, in Orange County – California, United States of America, moving to Austin, Texas, with his family when he was 4-years-old.

The first sport Tackett played competitively was football (soccer), which he played for one year, prior to finding BJJ. When William was 8 years old, a jiu-jitsu club opened near the Tackett family residence. William’s father, a big fan of martial arts movies, had developed into an interest in combat sports, a curiosity that propelled him to sign himself up for classes at this new academy – Team Rabadi – an affiliate of the Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu Association, adding his sons, William and Andrew Tackett to the club as well.

In 2017, seeking a more competition-driven environment, William discovered Rodrigo Cabral‘s Brazilian Fight Factory. Cabral was a very experienced athlete himself, who was building a solid team in Austin. Tackett joined the team together with his two brothers, all of whom fit right in, producing immediate results on the mats.

Arriving as a blue belt, William blossomed as a competitor, earning his purple and brown belts from Mr. Cabral, while beating some of the sport’s top adult athletes while grappling as a minor – a habit Tackett maintained once he hit adulthood in 2019. On March 27, 2021, Tackett was promoted to black belt by coach Rodrigo.

NOTE REGARDING WILLIAM TACKETT’S RECORD

Traditionally BJJ Heroes has only accounted for black belt records as they signify an athlete’s entry into our sport’s elite ranks. Tackett, however, is a special case as he’s been competing in the pro-grappling circuit since his teenage years, beating some of the sport’s most significant athletes. This left BJJ Heroes with a delicate predicament of defining when to start accounting for the young prodigy’s match records, as these wins should be noted for the importance they had on Tackett’s career.

To capture William’s full progress in our sport, we have decided to include his matches in the pro circuit, after his 18th birthday. Readers should keep in mind he was still a brown and purple belt throughout his 2019 and 2020 campaigns.